A tool, such as a mold, die, or other multi-dimensional object, is commonly used to selectively produce relatively large amounts of substantially identical objects. The tool may also be formed into several portions or parts which cooperatively produce these objects.
Traditionally, such a tool is produced by the use of a substantially solid block of material which is “shaped” (e.g., by cutting and/or grinding) into a desired form. Several blocks may be needed for certain tools having various parts or portions. This method, although capable of producing the desired tool, is relatively costly, is highly inefficient, and is not capable of rapidly producing a tool to meet the demands of the tooling industry.
In order to reduce the cost and expense associated with the production of the tool in the previously delineated manner and in order to allow a tool to be “rapidly” produced, a “laminar process” or method is alternatively employed. Such a laminar technique requires the initial creation of a multi-dimensional mathematical or “computer based” tool model. The model is then partitioned in order to create various tool or model “partitions.” These intangible partitions are then used to form and are physically manifested within sections of material which are then sequentially stacked and bonded to cooperatively form a structure which approximates the structure of the desired tool. While this laminar technique does reduce overall production costs and does allow a tool to be rapidly produced, it does not reliably produce a structure which has a form which is substantially similar to that of the desired tool.
That is, the laminar process fails to account for variances in the material used to form the sections, the spacing between sections caused by the bonding material, as well as various other variances. The laminar process also fails to determine, as the process proceeds, how well the incompletely or partially formed structure approximates the portion of the tool to which it corresponds and fails to allow for dynamic modification of the process to correct and/or to operatively “counteract” irregularities and/or structural faults.
Hence, oftentimes a structure is produced which does not readily approximate the tool, thereby undesirably increasing the cost and expense associated with the formation of the tool since the resultant structure must either be discarded or “reworked”. Moreover, the laminar process also utilizes substantially identical partition and sectional widths which prevent the use of relatively wide sections to create portions of the tool having a substantially constant width, thereby reducing the number of needed and/or utilized sections and significantly reducing overall production cost and expense. The laminar process also does not account for height variances within a single tool partition, oftentimes eliminating important structural aspects of the tool from the produced structure, and is not readily adapted for use in a completely and/or substantially completely automated environment due to its failure to provide dynamic feedback signals representing the accuracy of the overall tool building process.
There is therefore a need for a new and improved process for quickly and efficiently producing a tool and which overcomes some or all of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior tool producing methods and processes, and there is therefore a need for an apparatus to perform this new and improved process. Applicants' invention addresses these needs and represents such a new and improved tool forming process and apparatus.